Talk about women in power! In the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now, we took a look at the women of the small screen raking in megabucks — and shared their tips on how to emulate their success.
Kim Kardashian has created a billion-dollar industry, launched a beauty and fashion empire and has now taken on a career in law. However, she was first and foremost a television star who changed the reality landscape forever with the 2007 debut of Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
In April 2019, she opened up about how she’s fought for her pay all of her life. Of course, it helped her to have a strong family backing her, but ultimately, it was all about asking.
“I was really insecure about how to negotiate for myself, and so I would always look to her to show me how to do that for myself. Now I think I’d be very confident in doing that for myself, but it’s always a learning curve,” she told Elle magazine at the time. “So what I would suggest to someone at the beginning of their career is to start off by saying yes to everything. I felt like there was power in learning from everything and trying it all.”
Now, the mother of four looks back and wishes she had been more confident early on to say “no” to some things. “I would love to teach that my kids, and my friends, and my younger sisters,” Kardashian added. “Just stay true to who you are in your career and stand up for what you believe in when negotiating.”
The reality star is the exception to the highest-earning women in TV, as the rest of our list are all stars and producers of scripted television.
Jennifer Aniston, for example, wrapped her first season of Apple TV’s The Morning Show — both as a star and producer alongside Reese Witherspoon. The superstars reportedly raked in $2 million per episode, but Witherspoon believes that’s well-earned.
“There seemed to be a resentment as if we weren’t worth it or it was bothersome, and I thought, ‘Why is that bothersome?'” she told The Hollywood Reporter in December 2019. “I guarantee these companies are real smart, and if they agree to pay us, they’re doing it for a reason. They probably had a lot of lawyers and a lot of business people decide on that number because they knew that they were going to make more than that back. Does it bother people when Kobe Bryant or LeBron James make their contract?”
The Friends alum defended her costar. “She’s one of the most determined people I know,” she told THR. “She knew what she was up against and she never put that sword down. She had a message and stories to tell and she was just like, ‘Uh-uh, you can’t tell me no and you can’t pat me on the head and say, oh, aren’t you cute.'”
Sign up for Us Weekly's free, daily newsletter and never miss breaking news or exclusive stories about your favorite celebrities, TV shows and more!
Scroll through the gallery below for more of the highest-paid women in television and pick up the latest issue of Us for all their advice on earning more.